Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil S Wickremesinghe on Friday made it clear that his government was not averse to international participation in investigating the alleged war crimes in his country, but said "final judgment will be made by the internal judicial system." Wickremesinghe who was in Guruvayur to offer prayers at the famous Sree Krishna Temple made these observations while talking to reporters.

The Sri Lankan prime minister said representatives of the neighbouring countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan as well as that of the US and human rights organisations can participate in the discussions on the war crimes in Sri Lanka.

He said Sri Lanka wanted to ensure that those responsible to the death of the civilians whether they were military personnel or the organizations like the LTTE, adding, a UN investigation had earlier said it was possible up to 40,000 people had been killed in the final five months alone.

"It was not clear how many of them were killed by the (Lankan) army or whether the LTTE had moved the people to the war zones which led to the death of some of them. We may not have the full expertise to identify the exact factors that led to those casualties. So international participation is welcome for determining such causes," the Sri Lankan prime minister said.

"But the right to make the final judgment who was responsible for the deaths and on the nature of punishment should rest with the judicial system of Sri Lanka. The judicial system in Sri Lanka was in shambles earlier, but now it is returning to normal. The sovereignty of each country must be respected in such issues," he added.

Replying to questions, he said civil war-ravaged economy of Sri Lanka is limping back to normal. But the economic crisis being faced by several countries in the backdrop of the falling oil process is affecting Sri Lanka as well. Wickremesinghe was accompanied by his wife Maitree Wickremasinghe. They also offered prayers at the neighbouring Mammiyur temple as well.

Elaborate security arrangements were been made in connection with his visit. About 1,000 policemen have been deployed for providing security cover to the visiting VIP.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has awarded Sri Lanka a $17 million grant for its proposal, “One Vision, One Shield,” aimed at strengthening pandemic preparedness and response.

In response to Daily Mirror story headlined ‘AKD, Harini clashes over UGC Chairman appointment?’ in yesterday’s edition, the Prime Minister’s Office sent the following clarification.

The latest financial disclosures from the Election Commission reveal that Sajith Premadasa and the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), lead in campaign spending for the 2024 Presidential Election, with a total expenditure of Rs. 1.13 billion.

Chanu Nimesha, the Secretary of Women's Affairs of the Sri Lanka Socialist party, has created history by becoming the first transgender individual to contest an election in Sri Lanka. Nimesha will contest from the Kegalle District.

The Department of Immigration and Emigration will visit the southern coastal belt in early November to look for any overstaying tourists from countries like Russia and Israel, where an influx of tourists are expected in the emerging South season for Christmas, the Daily Mirror learns.

The elite Special Task Force (STF) have heightened security in Colombo, Weligama and Ella as well, a day after the US Embassy in Colombo gave a warning of a possible terror threat in Arugam Bay, a senior defence source told Daily Mirror last evening.

While refuting claims by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe that his government had allocated funds required to increase public sector salaries, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that no such funds had been allocated.

A Fundamental Rights petition has been filed before the Supreme Court seeking an order preventing Ranjan Ramanayake from contesting the parliamentary election scheduled for November 14.

Claiming that Sri Lanka has come a long way in terms of undertaking reforms which have led to some hard won gains, the International Monetary Fund (IMF)said they could move fast towards the third review which will come up soon.

The Election Commission has decided to mark the voters' index fingers for this year's general elections, Commissioner General Saman Ratnayake announced. He said the elections are scheduled for November 14, 2024.